Enhancing cultural competence for improved access to quality care

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is situated in one of the most diverse cities in the world. This is reflected in the patient population it serves. In 2009, the hospital embarked on a quality improvement initiative to address the existing evidence base on health disparities and to enhance health equity through cultural competence programming. The goal was to achieve optimal health outcomes for all patients and families, with a particular focus on new immigrant and other vulnerable populations. Evaluation results indicate changes in clinical practice as a result of this initiative and increased patient satisfaction with regard to staff members' level of cultural sensitivity. This article provides an overview of this hospital-wide initiative, as well as the evaluation methods and outcomes. Based on a needs assessment, we developed an institutionally meaningful curriculum with SickKids' values of family-centred care, patient safety and service excellence embedded in the program. Educational sessions were delivered to clinical and non-clinical hospital staff, focusing on health disparities, the case for culturally competent care and practical tools for healthcare practitioners. Organizational change strategies, including the use of champions as change agents and role models, were used to embed cultural competence as integral to family-centred care at SickKids.